Cubs send veteran catcher to Triple-A |
One of the final roster moves of the spring for the Chicago Cubs has been decided.
In a surprising move, the Cubs have decided to keep 24-year old catcher Victor Caratini on the major league roster as the backup behind Willson Contreras. Veteran catcher Chris Gimenez has been sent to Triple-A Iowa. He was expected to win the job as he was the personal catcher for Yu Darvish during their time as teammates with the Rangers. However, he didn't hit much this spring in 34 at-bats with a slash line of .206/.282/.294. It is a tough break for the veteran 35-year old catcher and he will be available to ask for his release on June 1 to join another major league team. Cubs manager Joe Maddon had positive things to say about Gimenez despite his demotion to Triple-A Iowa. "Gimmy is the perfect backup; he's made for that job," Maddon said. "He is the backup quarterback. He's done everything right. We just felt this was the right thing to do right now. And if it doesn’t play good for Victor early, getting enough at-bats, it’s always something we can flip-flop at some point." Maddon says that the time is right for Caratini. "Victor has demonstrated that he's Major League ready." Caratini was a little better offensively with a slash line of 243/.391/.378 in 37 spring at-bats than Gimenez. He is a talented prospect that hit .254 with a homer and two RBI in 59 at-bats last season. The tipping point that may have pushed Caratini over Gimenez is the fact that he has more versatility with him being able to play first base if needed. In other catcher news, it was announced today that former Cubs backstop Miguel Montero has made the Washington Nationals as the team's backup catcher.
